EU wants phone contracts to be switched in one day

Fixed or mobile telecom users should have more choice of providers, says Reding

Consumers should have the right to switch fixed-line and mobile phone suppliers in one day to stimulate market competition, according to the EU.

Commissioner for information society and media Viviane Reding said that while EU consumers have the right to switch contracts and keep their number, the process can take more than a month to complete in some countries. This in turn affects consumer choice and competition.

"Europe should be ambitious when it comes to empowering our consumers, because empowered consumers are the best recipe for strong competition on the market, investment into attractive services and, at the end, lower prices for all," said Reding, in a video message posted on her web site.

The right to keep a phone number when switching fixed or mobile telecom contracts has forced providers to offer competitive deals to retain customers, said Reding, but consumers are still losing out.

"In some European countries, it still takes very long for your mobile phone number to be really transferred to your new operator,” said Reding.

“You are very lucky if you are an Irish or Maltese consumer, because in these countries, you can do this within one day only. However, Polish and Italian consumers are not so fortunate. It takes 38 days to take your mobile phone number to a different operator in Poland, and 15 days in Italy," she said.

"This is an intolerable situation. It distorts competition between operators in Europe's borderless single market and puts citizens in countries with less effective consumer rules at a disadvantage. I want all Europeans to be able to switch their phone operator – whether mobile or fixed – within one single day, as it is already the case in Ireland and in Malta."

As well as offering a fair price for services, providing a high-quality customer experience is the key differentiator for telecom firms when trying to hold on to existing clients, according to a YouGov survey.

Some 2,143 UK citizens were polled during February 2009 in the survey commissioned by supplier Convergys, which suggests that nearly one in five mobile users (17 per cent) would pay a premium for a high-quality customer service. Only five per cent said they would opt for a package with the worst level of service, but the lowest cost.